Forests are vital to maintaining ecological balance, supporting biodiversity, and providing resources for local communities. However, forest fires pose a significant threat to these ecosystems, causing extensive damage to flora and fauna, degrading soil quality, and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions. The need for effective forest fire management has become increasingly urgent due to changing climate patterns and human activities that heighten the risk of fires. The "Training and Consultation on Forest Fire Prevention and Response" project aims to address these challenges by empowering local communities, stakeholders, and forest management personnel with the knowledge and skills necessary to prevent and effectively respond to forest fires. This project focuses on enhancing awareness, building technical capacity,and promoting sustainable practices to reduce the occurrence and impact of forest fires.

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Project Objectives

To support in building the capacities of the key stakeholders in identifying the risks associated with
forest fire in Nepal and implement activities pertinent to its response and prevention.
The program aims to contribute to the following specific outcomes:

– Finalisation and validation of a comprehensive and practical forest fire training module that incorporates feedback from a wide range of stakeholders and experts.

– Enhanced awareness among stakeholders about the importance of forest fire prevention and management, leading to improved preparedness and response capabilities at both national and local levels.

– Fostered collaboration between government agencies, local governments, NGOs, and communities, ensuring a unified approach to forest fire risk reduction and management.

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Project Activities

The following activities will be carried out to meet the objective.
1. Consultation Meetings:
The consultation meetings aim to achieve several key outputs:

– Identification of gaps or areas for improvement in the training modules, leading to further adjustments before final validation.

– Inclusion of local-level knowledge and unique challenges identified during field observations and stakeholders' interactions, making the training more practical and relevant.

– Strengthened collaboration between different stakeholders, including district-level stakeholders, local government, and NGOs, fostering a unified approach to forest fire prevention and management.

2. Training Programs on Forest Fire Prevention/Response:
The training program aims to achieve several key outputs:

– Increased awareness among local communities about the importance of forest fire prevention and its management at the community level.

– Improved ability to use forest fire management techniques and technologies introduced in the program to enhance their firefighting capabilities.

– Successful testing and refinement of the draft forest fire training module based on practical exercises and feedback during the training sessions.

3. National Workshop on Forest Fire Management:
The workshop will involve the following activities:

– Presentation of findings from the consultation meeting and the training program.

– Presentation of the drafted training module.

– Presentation from the government on the existing status of forest-induced disasters in Nepal

– Group work and presentation on key thematic areas

– Finalisation and validation of the training manual and discussion on the way forward.

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